Respected. Influential. Sometimes difficult, usually godlike, always amazing. Voivod is possibly the most creative band to master the metal form. For the band who keeps fans on the edge of their seats, the band who consistently delivers, 2003 will be a landmark year. It marks entry into their third decade. It marks the band's 13th full-length album. It welcomes back a key member and brings into the fold a man of ability and experience. 2003 will be a year of vindication for everyone - band and fans - as their latest offering, the 13-song monster simply titled Voivod, carries on the tradition of moving metal forward into new dimensions.

2003 represents the strongest Voivod lineup yet: ever-present members Away (Michel Langevin, drums) and Piggy (Denis D'Amour, guitar) are joined by original vocalist Snake (Denis Belanger) and longtime friend/noise conspirator Jasonic (Jason Newsted - formerly of Metallica). A sonic brain trust like this comes along rarely, and as Voivod reflects, they have made the most of it. This is a very special band.

Voivod began by cranking out Venom, Motorhead, Tank and Judas Priest covers in 1982, but it didn't take long for their muse to take hold, as original songs like "Condemned To The Gallows," "Voivod," "Warriors Of Ice" and "Blower" came to life shortly thereafter. By 1984, the quartet of Away, Piggy, Snake and original bassist Blacky were offered an appearance on Metal Blade's Metal Massacre compilation series. Their first album, War And Pain, followed. It brought the band to global notoriety thanks to its frightening amalgam of ugly noise and youthful spontaneity. Capitalizing on the debut's most chaotic aspects,

1986's Rrrooaaarrr offered diseased clusters of thrashing, headache-inducing warheads. The band's unique vision came crashing headlong into 1987 with their first truly progressive album, Killing Technology. Boasting a spacier yet no less teeth-rattling adventure, K.T. remains a high point in the band's discography. The album's technical noise-metal epics like "Forgotten In Space" and "Overreaction" merely hinted at what was to come on 1988's Dimension: Hatross, which remains one of the most innovative albums in the metal genre. Its ebb and flow is clearly the work of songwriting prodigies answering their true call. No surprise, then, when 1989's Nothingface capitalized on the lab-borne science-metal of Hatross while injecting a heightened sense of accessibility. A landmark tour with Soundgarden and Faith No More brought the band roaring into the '90s.

Voivod's cosmic drama played out in the new decade with two albums that, while not unanimously acclaimed upon release, have become legendary among their fan base. Angel Rat (1991) and The Outer Limits (1993) are each textbook definitions of "ahead-of-its-time." People who didn't understand them then - journalists, musicians and fans alike - have been heard singing their praises in recent years. With Blacky out after Angel Rat and Snake exiting after The Outer Limits, Voivod unleashed a ferocious album in 1995's Negatron. With bassist/vocalist Eric Forrest, the trio continued the hard-hitting space-metal vibe while easing the pace and offering huge slabs of hypnotic sound on Phobos (1997). Following that, a bits-and-pieces release (Kronik, 1999) and a live album (Voivod Lives, 2000) were deemed necessary in marking that era of the band's development. Surely, the news of a new Voivod record with Snake is big. The fact that the album is as strong as it is makes it even bigger.

Add to that the presence of Jason Newsted and Voivod is so utterly convincing. The relationship between Jason and Voivod actually goes a long way back, even before his Metallica days. Jason: "This is a longtime friendship - an almost 20-year friendship - that has remained. We've always kept a bright spot for each other. This has been a long time coming. This was meant to be. I'm truly convinced of that. It's just a fantastic thing that we have here."

The musical seeds between Voivod and Newsted were laid in the early '90s, when Away, Piggy and Jasonic wrote some songs together under the banner of TARRAT. (Phobos' "M-Body" evolved from those sessions.) Away adds, "We kept jamming with Jason through the years because we really get along, musically and spiritually. It was bound to happen that he would be part of Voivod eventually. You can really feel the excitement on the album. Everybody has something to prove."

Voivod rips and roars throughout its 60-minute duration. No filler, no dumbing down, no bullshit. Adds Jason: "We know what this band has to offer, the longtime fans and friends know what this band is about, and now we're going to show VOIVOD to the rest of the world! That's the name of the band, that's the name of the album."